Modern Technology to Be Used in Exploring Mexico's Teotihuacan Ancient Site La Prensa
go to original April 17, 2013

The Tlaloc II-TC robot will soon begin exploring the last stretch of a tunnel found at the archaeological site of Teotihuacan in central Mexico under the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, or Quetzalcoatl. (EFE/M. Marat/INAH)

MEXICO CITY - A robot will soon begin exploring the last stretch of a tunnel found at the archaeological site of Teotihuacan in central Mexico, the third time anywhere in the world that such an automaton is used to design excavation strategies.

The tunnel, discovered under the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, or Quetzalcoatl, is believed to lead to a chamber almost 2,000 years old, probably a place where dignitaries of the pre-Columbian city received their investiture or were buried, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said.

The Tlaloc II-TC robot, which will be the first to travel the remaining 30 to 35 meters (100 to 115 feet) of the tunnel, is composed of three independent mechanisms, the first being the transport vehicle that reaches a length of over a meter (3 1/4 feet) once its arms are stretched out.

The robotic arms serve to deal with any obstacles in the vehicle's path.

With the exploration of these areas, the INAH looks forward to making some of the most important archaeological discoveries at Teotihuacan, one of the largest cities of Mesoamerica in pre-Columbian times.

Read the rest at La Presna

The Pyramids at Teotihuacán, Mexico (milosh9k)

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